winter ocean|full moon : a tumultuous affair
slow time invites deeper listening
dear sojourners,
winter Ocean on the North Oregon Coast is tumultuous. ravenous. devouring sky|shore|horizon. she is storm. she is an insatiable lover and her lover is full Moon. Ocean takes in full-bodied Moon, beaches disappearing under their merging.
or is it Moon, completing her cycle, that embroils Ocean’s deepest desires, opening her to receiving :: a mouth awaiting a kiss. then Moon withdraws to Stars, leaves her lover bereft. Ocean offers gifts on salt-washed shores, begging her return. bull kelp, strewn and decapitated, mouths agape to mimic Ocean’s bereft cry. dead sea birds long past a season of meeting sky with flight. logs thrown against rocks, a broken heart’s drumbeat.
Ocean roars songs of passion and mourning. the songs of winter-tide rife with danger. a minor key unable to resolve. Moon warns, “don’t lull yourself into believing i belong to you when i stroke your face on a calm night. though my desire is to stay with you, i’ll always i slip away, unsated. our dance ancient. our love, devotional|devouring.”
last week i retreated to the North Oregon Coast for a time of reflection. though pre-planned, it was after a week of bitter cold, ice coated landscapes, winds that uprooted trees, and extensive power outages. my body relaxed as i took in first salt-breaths. winter it is my favorite time to be at the coast. less people. Ocean sings a different song in winter. rumbling. threatening. one is wise to never turn your back on Ocean in any season, but in winter it is even more imperative, for the tide often races toward you even as it is ebbing out. as it was full Moon when i was there and this is the season for King Tides, there were times i couldn’t even walk on the beach at high tide. too dangerous. and there is a siren’s sensuousness in Ocean’s voice too. a call to join her. to shapeshift into a seal and dive into the waves.
tides, winds, storms shift the seascape constantly. Ocean’s voice varies depending on the time of day…pull of Moon, incoming weather patterns, her mood. i would sit on a bench on an overlook and listen and watch, rain sometimes tapping against my rain gear. sometimes rain resting. nesting birds were scarce on the Rock. even Crows were avoiding the beach on the stormier days. winter coast reminds me that i am simply another being in the entangled collage that makes up this world. no more or less than Kelp, Crows, Grain of Sand. and though i gender Moon and Ocean, i realize that is part of my desire to connect on a spiritual level. it isn’t “right” or “wrong.” and i understand that Ocean would engulf me and take me out to sea without a “thought” of my well-being. at least i don’t think so. i guess my love for her clouds my thinking. devotional|devouring.
so where am i going with this? as humans at some point in time in several religious and cultural doctrines, we elevated out species above other beings. became “in charge” and lost our connection to the macro and micro world around us and within us. we forgot how to listen to Land (in the broad sense of the word). became fixers or dominators instead of co-beings. it has created quite a mess. (i recommend Substacks of
and to find our more how to listen to voices of Land and Beings.)do i have an answer? no. but as i listen to those also on the path of listening to Land and other Beings, i am learning new ways. i find i can lean against Maple and hear a “pulse.” hear the language of water in Ocean’s waves. do i know how to speak it? of course not. some days i have enough trouble with my “mother” tongue. but having an awareness that every being has a voice worthy to be heard is a start.
and seeing the irony in my own living because, true story, i have tiny little sugar ants that have found my abode the place to hang out. spiders. i’m cool with. fruit flies. not an issue. but sugar ants. ugh! so, uhm, i’m doing what i can to Lady Macbeth rid myself of these pests. totally NOT a saint over here. (and yes, i’ve done peppermint oil, lemon juice, cinnamon as non-poisonous options to no avail.)
so my opening imagining of the relationship between full Moon and Ocean. a strong image i felt as i spent my days and evenings in contemplation. a sense that there is so much more to this world|universe when we allow ourselves to be open to possibility.
i often reflect on slow time on my nurture your journey blog. the book Landlines : The Remarkable Story of a Thousand-Mile Journey Across Britain (i linked to my local bookstore…if you choose to buy the book, please, support your local indie bookseller if you can) by Raynor Wynn encapsulates that in her story. part Grief story, part reaching for hope, part reflection of living life in slow time, i have found it riveting. Ray and her husband, Moth, travel on familiar paths in the UK (I walked one of them in 2022!) as their bodies permit, stopping to take in the landscape while others rush on, measuring “time and distance” as markers of accomplishment, often seeming to miss the beauty that surrounds them. i had to return the book to the library, so will have to wait until my turn comes up again to finish it! i highly recommend.
today is Imbolc in the Celtic tradition. the first day of spring as seeds begin to emerge from winter’s slumber and we turn more toward light in the northern climes. it is sunny and bright as i sit and write this. i have my windows open to welcome fresh air. a witch hazel is blooming outside and the fragrance is strong, wafting in on a breeze. i cut some rosemary and lit candles as this is a “fire” celebration to honor Brigid’s day.
there is much tumult in the world. taking time to breath in the healing scent of witch hazel is grounding. bringing in rosemary to remember those who are grieving and lighting a candle is a small gesture not only to receive in this spring energy, but remember we are not isolated, but all entangled in this world of being-ness.
take care of your tender hearts. and tell me, how does that look for you these days? where do you go when you need to reflect or connect on a deeper level? what are you reading that you would recommend? let me know what is stirring in your world.
in gratitude,
anne
Beautiful witch hazel...I might plant another, maybe I can even find a better spot to better enjoy seeing the flowers and gorgeous leaves in the right light.